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Oct 18, 2024

The 3 Best Kids Water Bottles of 2024 | Reviews by Wirecutter

By Ellen Lee Ellen Lee is a writer focused on baby and kid gear. She has smashed Cheerios and milk together and let them fester in 34 diaper bags. We tested five new water bottles over the past year.

By Ellen Lee

Ellen Lee is a writer focused on baby and kid gear. She has smashed Cheerios and milk together and let them fester in 34 diaper bags.

We tested five new water bottles over the past year. None of them were better than our long-term picks.

The best kids water bottle doesn’t leak, is easy to clean, and is designed so that even a toddler can use it independently.

Since 2018, we’ve tested 27 popular water bottles with kids in a range of ages, from toddlers to tweens. And we found that the best stainless steel option is the 12-ounce Thermos Funtainer Stainless Steel Water Bottle With Straw, and the best plastic model is the 14-ounce CamelBak Eddy+ Kids. The 14-ounce Takeya Actives Kids Insulated Water Bottle With Straw Lid, which also works with a spout lid, is a great steel option for older kids.

As long-term owners of these bottles ourselves, we know how often parts get damaged or go missing, so this guide includes a section dedicated to replacement parts for all of our picks.

We also address care and maintenance, and we highlight one accessory that has proved to be an essential companion for any bottle owned over the long run: the OXO Good Grips Water Bottle Cleaning Set.

This insulated bottle is the simplest for younger kids to open and close by themselves. It’s also the least likely to leak and easy to clean.

The 12-ounce Thermos Funtainer Stainless Steel Water Bottle With Straw is our favorite kids water bottle because it’s the easiest one to use. Our youngest testers were able to open and close the top on their own. And its button-release cap prevents leaks, keeps grubby fingers off the straw, and makes the straw less likely to get dirty at the playground or in a bag. If the straw does become too dirty or wears out, you can order a replacement without having to buy a whole new bottle. The Thermos Funtainer bottle is easy for adults to take apart and clean. It has only four parts, each of which is safe to put on the top rack of a dishwasher. With vacuum insulation, drinks stay chilled for up to 12 hours.

This insulated bottle holds a little more liquid, has a faster-flowing spout, and looks a bit more grown-up than our other picks, so it’s a good choice for older kids.

The 14-ounce Takeya Actives Kids Insulated Water Bottle With Straw Lid has a hard folding spout (attached to an internal straw) that kids can open and close securely. Like the Thermos Funtainer bottle, the double-walled Takeya Actives Kids bottle keeps drinks cold for hours. It’s the easiest of our picks to take apart and reassemble for cleaning, and you can place both the bottle and the top in the dishwasher. It has a larger capacity than our other picks (it also comes in even bigger sizes), and bright (but not childish) color options are likely to appeal to older kids. Note: If you’d prefer to use it strawless, you can simply remove the internal straw and tilt back the bottle to drink, or you can purchase the Takeya Originals Spout Lid, which fits onto the same base.

This straw bottle is a breeze to take apart for cleaning and simple for young kids to use, but it can leak if the spout is in the wrong position.

The durable, 14-ounce CamelBak bottle is the lightest of our picks thanks to its plastic construction, and the dishwasher-safe bottle comes apart easily for cleaning. The CamelBak Eddy+ Kids Bottle comes with a straw spout that’s easy to open and close, and because of its bite valve, it won’t leak, even when the spout is open and the vessel is held upside down. When the valve is yanked out of place, however, there can be major leaking, and the valve may not survive heavy chewing (though it is replaceable). The plastic bottle is also not insulated—be ready for warm drinks or lots of condensation.

It’s impossible to avoid leaks 100% of the time, but we looked for kids water bottles that are the least likely to have this issue.

A water bottle should be simple to take apart to clean, and it’s ideal if it’s dishwasher-safe.

Even the smallest hands should be able to open and close a water bottle without help.

We looked for bottles that are durable and have replacement parts available for purchase.

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I’ve been testing water bottles for kids since 2018, including with my three children. Even before then, my family purchased, lost, and replaced our share of water bottles. We continue to rely on them daily for school, sports, and trips.

In addition, my research included surveying more than 30 parents and caregivers of young children about their needs and preferences. I read studies on the health concerns regarding BPA (bisphenol A), Tritan, and other plastics. I also read cringe-inducing media reports about the germs that can build up on water bottles if they’re not cleaned regularly. And I pored over recommendations for keeping kids hydrated. I drew on the background and conclusions from Wirecutter’s guide to the best adult water bottles, as well as research and reviews from other online guides. Many Wirecutter staffers have also tested these bottles with their kids, and they continue to do so.

This guide covers water bottles for children—from toddlers who have graduated from baby bottles and sippy cups to kids in elementary school.

More than simply being smaller versions of adult water bottles, the bottles in this guide are designed to be easy for young kids to use unassisted and compact for packing in lunch boxes. They’re also designed to be durable enough to withstand frequent drops, as well as simple for adults to clean and affordable to repair or replace.

Adults looking for a smaller, easier-to-transport bottle for their own use may also find this guide useful.

By about age 9, children will likely need to consume more water—the same amount as adults—and they may prefer larger water bottles, especially if they play sports. For that, check out our picks for the best water bottles—in particular our larger Takeya Actives and CamelBak Eddy picks, both of which include straws (a feature that our young testers happened to prefer).

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Water bottles are a standard item for many kids, whether for daycare, school, camp, sports, car rides, or simply their bedside table.

For this guide, we focused on water bottles with a capacity from 9 to 18 ounces. To suit different preferences, we included some bottles with straws and some with spout lids.

Based on our testing, we determined that the best water bottles have the following traits:

They’re made of quality, durable materials. We considered water bottles made from plastic and stainless steel. We did not consider glass bottles, since they tend to be heavy and may break more easily.

They have longevity. Because many kids like to chew on straws and are generally hard on their water bottles, we looked for models with replaceable parts.

They’re aesthetically pleasing. We preferred water bottles that come in a range of color and design options, so kids can choose and be excited about them.

They don’t have to break the bank. Given the odds that a child will lose a water bottle (or two or three), we favored ones that cost about $25 or less. In our research we’ve found that pricier bottles don’t perform better or offer more convenience.

Wirecutter staffers and I have been testing these bottles for more than six years, replacing parts (for the same bottle) as needed. We’ve stuck to filling them with water, though some caregivers fill these bottles with milk or other beverages.

Here are the tests we conduct regularly:

We test for durability. We deliberately drop our bottles on hardwood floors, down stairs, and on pavement.

We run leak tests. No water bottle is completely leak-proof or spill-proof, but we looked for ones that were the least likely to leak. We fill each one with 1 cup of water and then add food coloring. We put each bottle in a neoprene lunch bag and toss it down a small flight of stairs three times. Then we lay the bottles on their sides overnight (on paper towels) and look for evidence of leakage the next morning.

We clean them. We take water bottles apart and hand-wash each one, taking into consideration the number of pieces and how easy they are to put back together. For bottles that claim to be dishwasher-safe, we also send them through a dishwasher to check whether the pressure and heat cause damage.

We ask young kids to open and close them. Over the years, we’ve handed bottles to more than 16 kids, ages 2 to 14, to gauge how easy the bottles are to uncap and cap securely. Younger kids should be able to do so easily on their own, since they may bring one to daycare or preschool.

We run temperature tests. We fill the bottles with 1 cup of water and three ice cubes. We monitor the water temperature at regular intervals for the period each bottle claims to keep liquids cool. (Although some bottles also claim to keep liquids hot, we do not test this.)

This insulated bottle is the simplest for younger kids to open and close by themselves. It’s also the least likely to leak and easy to clean.

The 12-ounce, insulated Thermos Funtainer Stainless Steel Water Bottle With Straw is our favorite stainless steel water bottle for younger kids, due to the fact that it works better and lasts longer than comparable bottles.

It’s easy for young kids to use. Our 2- and 3-year-old testers found that the Funtainer bottle was the easiest to open and close on their own, since it doesn’t require much strength or dexterity. They were also less likely to leave it open accidentally.

It passed our leak test. This bottle didn’t leak after we left it on its side, with its lid on, overnight, nor when we tucked it into a bag and brought it on travels. When we repeated these tests using a two-year-old, well-used Funtainer bottle, we found that the cap still fully sealed against leaks. Note that the flip-up cap must be closed to prevent leaks. (And just use caution when you open it on an airplane—when it’s pressurized, it may spurt water at you.)

The Funtainer bottle is relatively easy to take apart and clean. Though we needed to use a skinny straw brush, the clear, removable spout easily let us see whether we’d successfully removed all of the grime. Also, the Funtainer cap does not have any tiny, hard-to-reach crevices, so the bottle is less likely to develop mold—as long as you clean it regularly. Thermos recommends hand-washing this bottle. But it also says the Funtainer bottle is top-rack dishwasher-safe, and many parents (some Wirecutter staffers included) report having no issues cleaning this bottle exclusively in the dishwasher.

Its vacuum insulation keeps water as cool as pricier insulated bottles do. After the Funtainer bottle spent five hours in the sun, the water measured a still-cool 60 °F. By the 12-hour mark (Thermos’s guarantee), the temperature was 65 °F. These results were better than what we got from some of the other insulated bottles we tested.

It’s lasted us for years. Over more than six years of testing, we’ve found the Funtainer bottle’s body and drinking parts to be durable. Many online reviewers note that the Funtainer bottle’s straw can endure many months of abuse from little chewers; we also like that the straw is easy to replace when it does finally succumb.

There are plenty of size and design options: The bottle comes in a series of fun colors and designs, from Star Wars to Bluey, as well as more-subdued options. If you prefer a larger, strawless bottle, the Funtainer bottle also comes in a 16-ounce version with a spout lid. We’ve also found the 16-ounce plastic Funtainer bottle to be durable, but, as expected, it doesn't keep water cold. The Funtainer lids are interchangeable.

Thermos offers a five-year warranty. It covers manufacturing defects on the Funtainer bottle’s stainless steel body.

The bottle looks roughed up over time. Within the first week of our liberally tossing the Thermos Funtainer bottle around, the bottom was scuffed. Online reviewers and Wirecutter staffers have complained that the designs, printed on metal, become scratched easily, and that they fade over time.

The cap can leak. If you don’t close the cap all the way, water flows freely out of the straw, as many online reviewers note. The bottle can also leak if you don’t reassemble it properly after cleaning—be sure to pull the straw completely through the hole.

The bottle can develop mold. This seems to become a problem if you keep liquids in the Funtainer bottle for more than the recommended 24-hour maximum, if you don’t clean the straw in a timely fashion, or if you don’t disassemble the two-piece straw during cleaning.

The loop handle is flimsier than those on other bottles. Some owners, including a Wirecutter editor who tested the Funtainer bottle with his three kids, have found that the handle breaks easily.

The base of the bottle can lose its adhesive and detach. This problem is common to many bottles, but it’s a particular nuisance with the Funtainer bottle, since the detached base exposes an unfinished, sometimes jagged metal edge, as well as some unsightly residual glue. You can put it back on with a dab of polyurethane adhesive.

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This insulated bottle holds a little more liquid, has a faster-flowing spout, and looks a bit more grown-up than our other picks, so it’s a good choice for older kids.

For older kids who want a sturdy, insulated stainless steel bottle with a slightly larger capacity, a faster flow of water, and a more grown-up look (and poppy colors), the 14-ounce Takeya Actives Kids Insulated Water Bottle With Straw Lid is a great choice.

The firm straw spout allows water to flow more freely. The straw spout is made of firm plastic, rather than the soft silicone of our other two picks. This means the Actives Kids bottle is better suited for kids who have good control; if they tip it too much, it could spill.

It passed our leak test. With the straw spout securely closed, the Actives Kids passed our overnight leak test. But the straw spout requires a little more dexterity to flip up and down, so this bottle is best for kids who can fully close it on their own (and remember to do so).

It’s easy to keep clean. A Wirecutter editor who has been using the Takeya Actives Kids bottle for two years has found that it’s less vulnerable to developing mold and other issues than the Thermos Funtainer bottle or the CamelBak Eddy+ Kids bottle. This is likely because the Takeya bottle’s hard spout straw doesn’t bend, so moisture is less likely to get trapped unseen in the hinge.

You can put the plastic lid into the top rack of the dishwasher, with less disassembly and reassembly since the straw spout is attached to the lid. The bottle can also go in the dishwasher, though Takeya generally recommends hand-washing it.

Its double-walled vacuum insulation keeps ice water cold. Plus, its wide mouth allows you to easily fill it with ice cubes.

The size and lid are customizable. You can swap in a spout lid, sold separately, for a faster flow. Takeya also offers additional sizes, including an 18-ounce glow-in-the-dark bottle; in our main guide to the best water bottles, we recommend a 22-ounce Takeya bottle.

It has a better warranty than the Thermos Funtainer. Takeya offers a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects in the bottle, lid, and handle.

The flip-top spout straw isn’t protected. Dirt, sand, and grime can get caught or build up in the area around the spout.

There was a past issue with faulty straws. “There was one batch [of straws] that was made too thin and cracked prematurely,” a spokesperson for Takeya told us in September 2021. “Over time [they were] found to split when connected to the lid repeatedly. Takeya’s product development has resolved the issue with the factory and the production has been corrected.” Any customers who may still have a faulty straw are eligible for a free replacement straw through the company’s warranty program (after providing a photo of the damaged straw and a purchase receipt).

This straw bottle is a breeze to take apart for cleaning and simple for young kids to use, but it can leak if the spout is in the wrong position.

If you prefer a lightweight, plastic water bottle, the 14-ounce CamelBak Eddy+ Kids Bottle is our favorite option. It has a unique and effective bite valve for the straw spout: biting down on it makes the water flow; it remains closed otherwise.

This water bottle is easy for young kids to use. Thanks to its perfectly sized plastic hinge, our testers could simply flip the wide, soft spout open to take a sip. Not all of our 2- and 3-year-old testers could close the Eddy+ bottle on their first try, but all of them managed it on their second or third attempt. Online reviewers also report that their toddlers, some younger than 2, have no issues figuring out how to use the bite valve.

It doesn’t leak, even with the spout open. Because of its soft bite valve, the Eddy+ Kids’ Renew was the only bottle we tested that didn’t leak when we tipped it over or when kids held it upside down with the spout open. After we placed this bottle on its side overnight, we also found our paper towel to be perfectly dry the next day.

It is pretty easy to clean. The Eddy+ Kids bottle has only four parts; you can remove the bite valve and pop it back in place in a matter of seconds, which is helpful because the inside of the bite valve requires attentive cleaning. All of the pieces can go in the top rack of the dishwasher. The underside of the cap does have some crevices, but they’re reachable with a bottle brush.

It’s durable. This water bottle, which was introduced in 2020, is made from a partly plant-based plastic, and it generally receives positive marks for durability; ours has survived deliberate drops. Parents also report that the bite valve, made with medical-grade silicone, holds up to chewers.

There are interchangeable options. If you want a bottle with a stainless steel base, the 12-ounce CamelBak Eddy+ Kids Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle keeps water cold for extended periods; the lid for the plastic CamelBak Eddy+ Kids bottle also fits on the stainless steel base.

It comes with a strong warranty. CamelBak offers a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects in the materials and workmanship of the bottle, lid, and handle.

The bite valve gets mixed reviews. Some people complain that mold appears inside the valve if they don’t wash their bottle daily. We spoke to several parents who filled their Eddy+ Kids bottles with smoothies, though, and they reported no problems cleaning them.

Kids also love to chew on the bite valve’s soft silicone spout, which can ultimately damage the bite valve and cause it to leak and collect grime more quickly. It can also be a choking hazard if they chew so hard that they break off a piece of the straw. After about a year of using this bottle, we found that we needed to purchase a replacement valve.

Kids (and adults) can make the bottle leak. If a child pushes the bite valve out of place, water will leak out the sides. A few Wirecutter staffers and multiple online reviewers have reported that their kids figured out ways to “defeat” the CamelBak’s lid design, such as by twisting, yanking, poking, pushing, or intentionally moving the bite valve out of place. As one editor who has had the bottles for years—and still really likes them—put it, “Kids can make them leak more easily than other water bottles.” This happens to adults, too, albeit by accident. When reassembling the bottle after cleaning, you have to pull the spout firmly through the hole to seal it and make it watertight.

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Kids can be tough on their water bottles. Luckily, replacement parts for our picks—including lids, straws, and valves—are available to swap in as needed, helping to extend the lifespan and performance of the bottles.

Thermos sells replacement straw sets—which include two silicone spouts and two hard straw stems—that can fit the F401 and newer F410 12-ounce Thermos Funtainer bottles. You can find the model number on your water bottle by removing the silicone spout from the cap and turning it upside down; the model number (along with where the bottle was manufactured) is etched in tiny type next to the hole for the spout. When the hinge on our cap broke, we were also able to call Thermos, which sent us a replacement cap.

Replacements for Takeya’s Actives Straw Lid are available in an assortment of colors. (For straws only, there’s this five-pack.) You can also get a replacement for the rubber bumper, as well as the new O-ring (the silicone ring that nestles in the lid of straw models). You can swap out the straw spout for a strawless spout lid, which fits the base for various Takeya models from 14 to 64 ounces.

CamelBak’s replacement options for the Eddy+ Kids include a set of four multicolored bite valves, a combo pack with two clear bite valves and two straws, and a replacement cap (with one bite valve and one straw). CamelBak also sells bite valves for the previous Eddy model.

The spout and straw of your child’s water bottle will inevitably accumulate grime. We recommend thoroughly cleaning them with a skinny bottle brush and some baking soda or vinegar. In the research we did for our guide to the best adult water bottles, we found that the best set for cleaning bottles is the dishwasher-safe OXO Good Grips Water Bottle Cleaning Set. It includes a large bottle brush, a skinny straw brush, and a looped detail-cleaning brush.

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If you’re looking for a more affordable insulated stainless steel bottle: The 14-ounce ThermoFlask Kids Bottle with Straw Lid costs about $25 for a set of two bottles. It keeps water as cool as the more expensive insulated bottles do, and as long as the spout stays pressed down firmly, it doesn't leak. The lid is dishwasher-safe, but ThermoFlask recommends hand-washing the base; replacement parts are available. Because bottle availability and color options are frequently limited, we have not made the ThermoFlask Kids Bottle a pick. But if your kids aren’t choosy, it’s a good deal.

If you’d prefer a more lightweight (uninsulated) stainless steel bottle: The 12-ounce, stainless steel Klean Kanteen Kid Classic Sport was previously one of our picks, and we still think it’s a good bottle. It was fairly durable in our tests, although we did see some denting. This particular bottle weighs less than our stainless steel picks because it lacks insulation. It’s dishwasher-safe, and replacement parts are available. What concerned us was the potential for leaks. We tested the Klean Kanteen with the sport top (a small drinking spout that you pull to open and press to close), which Klean Kanteen says is not guaranteed to be leakproof. And it wasn’t: We found that if we left the bottle on its side for too long, water would dribble out. Our 2- and 3-year-old testers were also not able to close the sport cap properly on their own—plus, they had to use their fingers to push down the spout. And over time, pressing the sport cap down to close it completely became more difficult.

If you want an insulated stainless steel bottle that can work for babies on up: Pura has a line of 9-ounce, 11-ounce, 16-ounce, and 22-ounce bottles that can work with a variety of interchangeable tops (sold separately) for different ages and stages—including baby-bottle–style silicone nipples and sippy-cup–style spouts. We found that the insulated Pura bottles did a good job of keeping water cold. And the silicone sport straw top is simple to clean, since it has few crevices and the silicone pops off the cap easily. But the soft, bendable flip-cap spout made it challenging for our kid testers to secure. There were many instances when our kids did not close the bottle firmly, causing leaks.

If you’re a fan of Hydro Flask insulated stainless steel bottles: The 12-ounce Hydro Flask Kids Wide Mouth is popular and reliable. We recommend a 21-ounce Hydro Flask model in our main guide to the best water bottles because it’s dependable, leakproof, and dent-resistant, and it draws few owner complaints. Replacement parts are available. It kept water as cool as the other insulated stainless steel bottles we tested. And it passed our leak test, even though Hydro Flask stipulates that the wide-mouth straw lid is not intended to be leakproof. The bottle is dishwasher-safe.

If you’d like a customizable, heavy-duty bottle with a range of interchangeable tops: The 12-ounce Yeti Rambler Jr. is an insulated stainless steel water bottle that’s dishwasher-safe. It comes with a straw lid, but you can swap it out for a cup cap or a silicone-spout chug cap, among other options (sold separately). Replacement parts are available. For $6 and up, you can customize the bottle with your child’s name or initials. But the Yeti Rambler Jr. weighs a full pound unfilled, so it’s the heaviest kids bottle we tested, and it didn’t keep our water any colder than the others. It is also so wide that it failed to fit in the cup holder of our car seat. In our initial 2020 test, the Rambler Jr. leaked. At the urging of multiple Yeti devotees, we purchased a new Rambler Jr. in 2022 and gave it another shot; this unit passed the leak test. Yeti offers a five-year warranty on all of its bottles.

Some water bottles have been discontinued since our testing. This list includes only those that are available:

Owala’s 14-ounce insulated stainless steel Flip bottle has a flip-up straw cap. But even though the cap is dishwasher-safe, its underside has several hard-to-clean crevices that developed gunk and mold during our testing (and that we have not been able to remove).

We also tested Owala’s 16-ounce insulated stainless steel FreeSip bottle, which includes its popular, distinguishing feature: an opening that allows you to chug or sip with a straw. We believe this spout is best for older kids because it requires some coordination. The cap does not close easily, and it popped open when we dropped the bottle.

Thermos offers the 18-ounce insulated stainless steel Icon Kids Water Bottle for older kids, with a clear, hard plastic spout that pops up. But the spout has a snapping mechanism that can be challenging for young kids to open and close, and it feels like it could loosen or break over time.

We found it challenging to twist open the straw spout of the 12-ounce Klean Kanteen TKWide Insulated Water Bottle.

The 12-ounce and 17-ounce insulated stainless steel Snug Kids Water Bottle looks like a knock-off of the Thermos Funtainer bottle, with a large assortment of colorful, kid-friendly designs. We dismissed it without testing it, however, because Snug Kids does not offer any replacement parts, a common complaint noted in the reviews; after a piece breaks or gets lost, the bottle becomes junk.

We tested a 15-ounce S’well S’ip stainless steel water bottle for kids; it’s no longer widely available (but you can still find the 17-ounce bottle). But trying to shove ice cubes through the narrow opening was frustrating. It was also annoying to wash by hand, since it’s hard to see inside, and a bottle brush is necessary to reach the interior.

The 14-ounce insulated stainless steel Zulu Chase kept our water reliably cold. But within months of using it, the cap completely cracked and broke off, rendering the bottle leaky and more or less useless. Zulu does not sell replacement parts.

We also tested the 16-ounce plastic Zulu Torque. The bottle is dishwasher-safe, but online reviewers complain that the long, thin, rectangular spout of the Torque is challenging to clean, and we agree.

We dismissed both the plastic and insulated stainless steel versions of the Contigo Autospout Straw Flip because the pop-up drinking spout was difficult for our testers to push down and close. And though the entire bottle is dishwasher-safe, online reviewers have complained of mold developing in difficult-to-reach crevices, like the drinking spout.

We tested and dismissed the Contigo Autoseal Trekker, a lightweight, 14-ounce strawless plastic bottle. Though it can go in the dishwasher, the cap has several hard-to-reach crevices that are difficult to clean, so mold can grow.

With just two pieces, the 12-ounce Nalgene Kids OTF was one of the easiest bottles for us to clean; you can also place it in the top rack of the dishwasher. But we found it difficult to open and close. To secure the lid, you must press down hard enough to click it shut, and you need enough dexterity to snap a thin, metal bar into place.

The 12-ounce Nalgene Tritan Grip-N-Gulp is a lightweight, strawless plastic bottle that is dishwasher-safe. But its sippy-cup–style mouthpiece limits water flow and is meant more for toddlers.

The 14-ounce stainless steel Simple Modern Summit Kids Water Bottle kept water cold during our temperature test, but it failed our leak test twice.

We dismissed the 12-ounce Lifefactory Glass Water Bottle without testing it. Though it has a silicone outer sleeve, we saw multiple complaints indicating that it can still crack or shatter when dropped.

This article was edited by Alison Rochford and Kalee Thompson.

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Ellen Lee

Ellen Lee is a senior staff writer covering baby and kid gear for Wirecutter. Her work has also appeared in The Atlantic, BBC, and Real Simple, and she was previously a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. She is also the author of the (ADJECTIVE) Lunar New Year Mad Libs book. (We’re hoping you filled in the blank with “hilarious.”)

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